A short history of the many, many ways Uber screwed up

UBER CEO TRAVIS Kalanick resigned late Tuesday night from the company he cofounded in 2009. While he’ll remain on the board of directors, Kalanick’s departure comes after months of reports of a toxic workplace culture, cutthroat business tactics, and the occasional public embarrassment.

It’s not clear who will replace Kalanick. But what is clear is that this person will have a lot to correct. Here’s a timeline of many, many upheavals that led the $69-billion startup to this crisis point.

August 2013: On August 16, a group of Uber drivers file a class-action lawsuit in federal court in which they claim they have been misclassified as independent contractors. This issue cuts to the core of Uber’s business model, which depends on drivers not being official employees. The drivers in the suit ask for employee benefits, including mileage and tip reimbursement.

Mike Rawson

Mike Rawson has recently re-awoken a long-standing interest in robots and our automated future.
He lives in London with a single android - a temperamental vacuum cleaner - but is looking forward to getting more cyborgs soon.